Northland businessman pleads guilty to child sex charges

A prominent Northland businessman and former Child Youth and Family foster parent has pleaded guilty to nine counts of child sex offending.

Daniel Taylor, 37, of Kaitaia, changed his plea in the High Court at Whangarei today after the Crown presented an amended indictment with nine charges.

The 34-year-old previously faced 19 charges in relation to sexual assaults on both teen and pre-teen boys between 2007 and 2011.

The High Court granted the Crown leave to file amended indictments and some of the charges have been combined into representative indictments.

He now faced one charge of indecent assault on a boy aged under 16 years, six charges of indecent assault on a boy aged between 12 and 16 years, one charge of indecent assault on a boy aged over 16 years, and one charge of attempted sexual connection with a boy aged under 12 years.

A foster parent for Child, Youth and Family and vice president of the Kaitaia Business Association, Taylor was arrested last year and initially denied the charges.

He was supposed to stand trial in Whangarei next month.

He recently described his occupation to a court hearing as a consultant.

Taylor dramatically collapsed in the dock before being led away for medical attention at a November hearing in Kaitaia District Court.

At a hearing in February he was again refused bail after police raised concerns regarding the potential for Taylor to interfere with victims and/or witnesses.

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"The risk that Taylor will try to contact victims or witnesses is a real one, irrespective of where he might be bailed to," prosecutor Duncan Coleman told the February hearing.

Police also had concerns regarding the proposed bail address, as all the neighbours had children, the occupants were visited from time to time by a grandchild, both occupants had employment and the house was very close to a public playground.

Earlier this year, Taylor's lawyer, John Munro, said he expected his client to deny the charges he faced.

Mr Munro complained at the time that all suburban homes would be in some proximity to shops, schools, kindergartens and such places where children were to be found.

"This man is not a predator in terms of jumping out and abducting someone," Mr Munro had told the February bail hearing.